Coco Gauff’s hopes of defending her US Open title came to a disappointing end as she lost to fellow American Emma Navarro in a match marred by errors. Gauff’s performance was characterized by 19 double faults and 60 unforced errors, leading to her 6-3, 4-6, 6-3 defeat. With her exit, Gauff joins Novak Djokovic and Carlos Alcaraz on the sidelines, all of whom saw their campaigns cut short.
Navarro expressed disbelief at reaching the quarterfinals, especially after her previous first-round exits in the past two years. She will now face Spain’s Paula Badosa for a spot in the semifinals. Gauff’s defeat leaves Serena Williams as the last woman to successfully defend the US Open title since 2014.
The tournament also saw Frances Tiafoe keep American hopes alive by securing a victory over Alexei Popyrin, winning 6-4, 7-6 (7/3), 2-6, 6-3. Tiafoe’s win places him alongside tennis greats such as Andre Agassi, Andy Roddick, and Pete Sampras, all of whom have reached at least three US Open quarterfinals since 2000. He is set to play against veteran Grigor Dimitrov in his next match.
Tommy Paul has the chance to join Tiafoe and Taylor Fritz in the quarterfinals, provided he can overcome world number one Jannik Sinner on Monday. Tiafoe reflected on his journey, sharing how he dreamed of playing on prestigious courts like Arthur Ashe Stadium.
Dimitrov advanced to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2019 after defeating sixth seed Andrey Rublev. Alexander Zverev also reached the quarterfinals by defeating Brandon Nakashima and will next face Fritz, who had a notable comeback victory over 2022 runner-up Casper Ruud.
In women’s matches, Badosa powered through Wang Yafan to make her first US Open quarterfinal, and Aryna Sabalenka continued her strong run by defeating Elise Mertens, securing her spot in the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive time. Sabalenka’s next opponent will be either Zheng Qinwen or Donna Vekic.